This invention is directed to a dispenser for wine which permits a bottle to be opened and served in individual portions over an extended period of time without subjecting the remaining wine in the bottle to the deleterious effects of air. It is becoming more popular for restaurants and wine bars to offer high quality wines in individual servings. However, this manner of serving wine requires that the remaining wine in the bottle be protected against the harmful effects of contact with air. Over the years, many devices have been proposed to perform this fuction but most have had serious drawbacks and have not experienced widespread commercial success.
An object of this invention is a dispenser for a wine bottle which replaces the cork in the bottle and permits the use of low pressure gas, such as nitrogen or argon, to discharge the wine to a dispensing tap.
Another object of this invention is a dispensing apparatus for a wine bottle which permits the use of a single dispensing tap and a single source of pressurized gas for a number of different bottles of wine.
Another object of this invention is a dispensing apparatus for wine bottles which permits the wine to be discharged from the wine bottles while they are stored on their sides in conventional wine racks.
Another object of this invention is a method of utilizing gravity and a low pressure inert gas to supply wine from a bottle to a dispensing tap.
Another object of this invention is a seal that utilizes flexible radial fins to hold the plug in the neck of the bottle.
Other objects of the invention may be found in the following specification, claims and drawings.